mostrich

A blast from the past, or 2014 to be precise. It took me 11 months to finish and was a journey through pain and joy likewise. Some first-timers for me like pre and post shading, Future for canopy and decals and dealing with aftermarket the big way. The model depicts the Arado built machine of Hauptmann Egon Mayer in the spring of 1943. The rudder shows 62 kills, which he had between February 14 and April 16. He was Commander of III. /JG 2 and a specialist in fighting bombers, shooting down twenty B-17, five B-24 and one B-26 until his death on March 2, 1944. Used aftermarket: Bottom Fuselage Panel / Department of Correction Fw 190A/F/G Tail / Department of Correction Prop & Spinner VDM 9-12067A / Ultracast Spoked Wheels / Ultracast Pilot Seat / Ultracast Photo Etch Set / Eduard Armament Set & Pitot / Master Comments and constructive criticism are as always welcome!

Yes David, I hear you on all those issues you battled so successfully. Finished my A-5 in 2014 and it wasn't a walk in the park. Luckily like you I learned from other's mistakes and listened to Eduard's additional remarks. But nonetheless I managed to glue the cockpit tub in a tenth of a mm to far to the front. That ended in a lot of fun with the weapons bay and engine alignment. Learned to curse in seven different languages back then. But back to your work. I think you can be proud on what you've achieved with that demanding kit. I also like the unusual hybrid version you've chosen. Pretty cool!

Thank you all for your flattering comments, Gentleman! Much appreciated.

My fellow modelers, my on-again, off-again relationship with this project has now finally found an end. Like in every build so far there were some first-timers for me: First model kit in 72nd scale. First armor kit since returning to the hobby. First time dealing with all that glorious mud, grime and dirt poducts. Felt like a kid in a puddle, lol. The kit itself is nearly perfect. Awesome details, great fit and six varied schemes to choose from. The real challenge, at least for me, were all those incredible tiny parts. Keep in mind that Renault built a tank with 5 m (16.4 ft) of length and 2.14 m (7 ft) of height. Beside the priming the whole build took place under the magnifier. There is an interesting fact about the history of this tank: Renault started production in 1917, late in WW1. Thus most of them never saw action on the field. This one was, like many of its kind, transferred to the French colonies to ensure dominance of the occupying force. Later, after the armed truce of Compiègne (06/22/1940), in which the Germans allowed France to keep its colonial forces armed, this vehicle became part of the Armee de l'Armistice. The writing on the turret states "Le Champagne". For the presentation I cut and sanded a piece of ebony. What a great material! I finish with the obligatory scale picture. Looking forward to your comments and suggestions. Torben

That's how a Tonka stole my heart... Excellent built, weathered and photographed. Just right up my alley!

And I thought all of them were red. I like this scheme much more, looks really bad a**. Your paint job has a worn and rough outcom, like it should be on such an old car. How did you manage it? Oh, and I like your photography, too!

I think for only your third model this is a great result. I've built the Eduard 190 for myself and it is for sure not a kit for beginner. The stripe on the spinner is simply called "spinner spiral". Your paint job and weathering looks solid on top and belly. Maybe the soot stains of the wing guns are a bit overdone. But that's only a minor point.

A really stunning piece of craftmanship. The watermarks with the salt stains along the hull caught my attention on first sight. So much to discover on every single part of that sub. Remarkable work.

Very well executed model. The blue rockets and tanks add some colour diversion to save the scheme from looking too uniform.

That's the kind of modelling I really enjoy looking at. Off the mainstream and so well executed.

This is so in your face. It jumped right on me, picture for picture. Splendid work, Matthias! Would like to see her belly, though.

I can only underline what's been written above. Mighty fine work.

Filling all those joints was absolutely worth the effort. Lovely finish on the speeder and the figure. I especially like the pose. Not too much action, but in motion and he's looking alarmed of something...

I just can repeat what already has been said. Beautiful finish! It's a lot of aftermarket involved, isn't it?

This is incredibly good. And more bettererer. Can't wait to see a shot of the whole boat.

Approved, Sir! Now go on, please. What is it by the way?

It's always hard to judge on a picture, but I've made the experience that a semi-gloss or dull coat lets the contrasts 'melt' together rather stark. Maybe you give it a try on a spot on the underside with your clear coat of choice. If it's still a bit splotchy you can add a further filter of the base color.

Very nice! This is almost the state where I'm at with mine now. Started with the black basing-method and put the first marbling coat on. Ran a bit out of steam the past weeks but looking at yours makes me want to go back at it. Much inspiring!

Simply striking.

You're a brave man by wrestling with this kit, Artur. AMK comes for the rescue this year, so no more KH in the future. Fantastic build, I especially dig the weathered metal work on the underside.

Absolutely stunning work. You guys make them Bandai engineers proud. What about that red light, is it clear styrene painted with transparent red?

Had the same thought, ha ha! Andy, you made a daydream come true for me. When I came back from cinema I checked all the Bandai stuff on Amazon again and had a K-2SO in mind exactly the way you did it. I love it and will shamelessly copy it as soon as I can! With backpack of course.

That scheme along with the blue spinner looks awesome. Never seen a built SH Seafire before. Very well done!

Always a pleasure to see a vignette or diorama in braille scale. The tank is very solid work with subtle tonal variation and a fitting weathering. The figures are the stars of the scene, they look fantastic. Would love to see some detail shots. The tree is a bit of a letdown, though. It shows its railway genes. On the other side (literally) the water is on par with the figures. Not too clean, not too dirty with a realistic depth and a greyish tint that makes it look quite cold. Well done!

Drooling all over that thing for hours now. Mindblowing!